How to make a beaver trap … how to make an opossum trap … how to make a vole trap … how to build an armadillo trap … how to make a chipmunk trap … in my line of work, people are constantly asking me how to make a trap for small animals.
Over the course of 30+ years in the animal control business, you’d be amazed at the types of homemade contraptions or innovative methods people come up with to get rid of their nuisance animal. While these methods aren’t lacking for creativity, more times than not, they fall short when it comes to effectiveness. I’ve discovered that using the Havahart® Easy Set® Trap is a much better alternative to any homemade trap.
One Example of How to Make a Live Trap
Here are some steps for to how to build a live animal trap simply and with little or no cost involved that my friend Al came up with to trap a rogue possum on his property:
- Dig a hole in the ground that conforms to the size of the nuisance animal, making it deep enough so the animal theoretically can’t climb out.
- Cover the hole with brush to disguise it.
- Place the appropriate bait for the animal on top of the brush.
- Wait for the animal to take the bait and fall into the hole.
- Remove the captured critter from the hole.
What are the problems with this trap? There are quite a few.
First, while digging a hole isn’t especially difficult, it does require some effort. Many small critters are excellent climbers and are resourceful enough to find their way out of a hole. There’s also the possibility that the animal will be injured from the fall, and you definitely don’t want that. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, there’s the problem of getting the animal out of the hole without harming it — or yourself.
You Don’t Have to Know How to Make a Trap for Small Animals to Capture Them
After losing a battle with an angry possum (this one didn’t “play possum” — it gave Al a nasty bite on the arm when he tried to pull it from the hole), Al seemed much more receptive to the idea of purchasing a large 2-door version of the Havahart® Easy Set® Trap to catch his critter.
He loved the fact that he needed only one hand to set it and that there were no holes to dig, either. There are no sharp edges to harm the animal, and, because it is sturdy and rust-resistant, Al can use it over and over again. He placed the trap near the entrance to a possum burrow and baited it with some canned cat foot, and he had himself a possum in short order!
The Havahart® Easy Set® Trap is a humane and effective alternative to a homemade trap — and it’s a whole lot better than digging holes and getting bitten!
Photo: marksinderson
